


The Family We Choose (or, Graybles Universe)

by ilvos01



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Early in Canon, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-16 10:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3484436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilvos01/pseuds/ilvos01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various narratives of various Gems, and the choices they make</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They found her after the fight was over.

It's remarkable, gem corruption. No-one is precisely sure what causes it, but the seedier, less-virtuous types tend to succumb more quickly. Many of the uncounted hordes of gems, wrought from the Kindergarten on Earth, already bore early signs of corruption. Rose had cringed and winced as she drew her sword through each one, unsure how to feel about beings created for such a foul reason.

_This isn't right,_ she had thought. _But how can such creatures be made in such numbers, if right or wrong means anything in the world?_ Rose was no longer sure that it did.

The plan worked, in the end. The Homeworld Gems fled the planet after they set the Geode to erupt. It was almost too easy, watching the higher-ups of the Diamond Authority (almost all of them analytical type-2's) file neatly onto the warp pad. All of them thought that Rose Quartz had, spitefully, won, with her insane suicide plan. Not one of them even considered the Geode could be contained after activation.

And the corrupted gems continued. Earth had always been a dumping ground to the Diamond Authority, despite its beauty. A backwater planet with questionable carbon deposits was perfect, those monsters had thought, for unleashing the byproduct of their dirty work. In the months following the final battle, however, the number of corrupted gems had nearly tripled, and all three Crystal Gems had their hands full, protecting the wildlife and native settlements (the Roman "empire", they called it) from the beasts. Rose had even shown Garnet & Pearl how to use containment bubbles peacefully.

And now they finally stood at the Kindergarten itself. Walking through the depleted carbon dust, Rose shook her head, disgusted at the abomination that had been performed here. Kindergartens were once special places, where gems brought new gems from the stone, by hand. These... drills, and their bastard plans for them. They found the means to make an army and they took it.

The holes were spaced out like a grid, further enforcing cold, calculating nature of this creation. So many new corruptions, so many souls who had known nothing but hardship.

_Maybe to think myself capable of saving them is just.... hubris._ She let out a heavy sigh. _A silly little healer who tried to fix the universe. How many have died because of my actions?_

"Rose?"

Rose turned around to see Pearl, standing beside her, nervously clutching her spear.

Pearl was young, for a gem, and these past years had been hard on her. She was more responsible now, and worried more than ever, but Rose knew she could handle herself. Another of the popular type-2 body types, she had asked Pearl to join her because she seemed to understand caring for one another, when so many did not.

Pearl had been hesitant, at first–As one of the first of the Organic Gem project, she had a lot to prove. Top of her class in nearly everything. But she had still understood, where so many had not, that life was sacred.

Garnet spoke up. "Rose is fine, Pearl. We've all been through a lot."

Garnet was a type-1, like Rose herself. Tall & statuesque, type-1 bodies left a bit more room for personalization. There was no special reason that Garnet had agreed to join her, no tortured past, no complexities in her illustrious career, as far as Rose knew. She was just a Gem who had decided to help. And that had given Rose so much hope. "Thank you, Garnet. Pearl, you shouldn't worry. I was just... thinking about those born here, that's all."

Pearl shuddered. "You mean the corrupted? I had never seen so many in my life, not even in the slums of Homeworld. Do you think they are still lurking out here, comman- erm, Rose?" Pearl bit her tongue after speaking, quickly repeating the name _Rose, Rose, Rose_ under her breath.

"....Perhaps, Pearl, Garnet, so do keep a look out. They all should've left for the battle, but you never know. But to answer your question, yes, I was thinking about the corrupted, but no, I wasn't worried of attack. I was..." She trailed off.

Garnet looked at her. "Rose?"

"...Yes, sorry. I was wondering how I could help them."

"Rose, I don't think they can be helped." Garnet made a sweeping gesture at the canyon before them. "They were made for one thing, and they did it. They crawled out of the earth _already_ corrupted."

The elder gem got quiet. "...Maybe you're right." She hung her head, and took a few steps to the side of the path. Pearl & Garnet stopped walking, and waited.

Rose did nothing. Many minutes later, she continued down the path again. Without a word, the others followed.

They walked up to the cliff face, scrounging along the walls for hours, checking every hole they could find. Pearl, after thoroughly checking the last hole in her sector, called loudly through the canyon. "NO SIGN OF ANYTHING!"

A moment later, Garnet also called in. "ME NIETHER"

Rose let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. _That's one more thing we don't have to worry about. This should be the-_

"ROSE?!" Pearl's voice echoed jarringly through the canyon. "I-I THINK SOMETHING'S HERE, I- AH!"

_"Pearl!"_ Rose kicked the ground, hard, and went flying into the air, her broadsword glimmering as it materialized out of her gem. Her keen eyes tore over the ground, looking for-

_Aha!_ Below, she could see Pearl's lithe form, twirling with a practiced grace as she beat off an indistinct assailant. Rose propelled a shaped blast from the blade of her sword, and down she went, slamming into the ground inches from the younger gem.

They stood back-to-back, weapons out, rotating slowly as they scanned the rocks for whatever it was. "What did you see?" Rose asked.

"I-I couldn't tell," Pearl gasped, getting a hold on her nerves. "It l-looked like one of the army gems, but smaller? It's not... it's not acting like the soldiers did. I think-"

Rose held up a hand, and Pearl fell silent. Her keen eyes peered at the edge of one of the larger rocks, watching, waiting....

There. For a split second, a head had peered out over the edge, just far enough for one eye to get a good view, before darting back again.

She darted forwards, upwards, over the rock. Coming down in the air, she raised her sword with both hands, ready to strike. Her shadow fell over the corruption soldier, as it looked up at her, eyes widening, cowering in-

_Cowering in fear, terrified, innocent eyes looking up at her-_

Rose changed maneuvers, dismissing her sword and somersaulting to gain more momentum. Just before she landed in the dusty dirt, she twister, landing poised directly at the corruption soldier, _if that's even what it is._

The thing gave a start, amazed that it– _she,_ it was a she–wasn't impaled on a rose-colored blade. And Rose Quartz finally got a good look.

A gem, without doubt. Humanoid with purple flesh, the thing was dressed in grey rags, leaving it exposed in many vulnerable places. In all of them, there were scratches, blemishes, scars that the thing hadn't recovered from. Its proportions were _like_ that of these new soldier-types, but off. One arm was long, with two elbows, held tightly against her body. Its legs twisted, giving her an obvious limp. And its hair.

Her hair was long & pure & white, stretching from her head behind her like a mane. It looked soft, and well cared-for.

A second later it lunged forwards, attacking Rose with an animalistic fury. Its good arm suddenly held a long whip, studded with purple stones. Rose didn't even blink, sidestepping her attacker and twisting around, her hand stretched out. Just as the unknown gem turned to counter, it found itself encased in a large, rose-colored glass. After stopping for a moment more to see that she was trapped, she didn't let up, scratching & pounding at the surface, at Rose's direction.

Pearl stepped up behind her, looking timid. "Did you finish it?"

Rose nodded, smiling. "Yes, I believe I did."

Pearl's eyes widened as she saw the mad gem trapped, howling in pain as it threw itself against the bubble's surface. "Commander! You didn't even kill it! It's one of the soldiers, look how much its corrupted already!"

"It's not corrupted." Garnet's voice came from the sky, and she landed with a slam on the ground, causing the gravel to rattle & shake. Subtlety had never been one of her strong suits. "Corruption isn't a physical malady, even if it manifests that way."

Rose nodded, then put a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "Garnet's right. Do you see her limbs? They're uneven, unplanned. When corruption manifests, it's a result of the gem's psyche on their body, and follows the natural law of symmetry."

The younger gem nodded, slowly, before taking a step towards the bubble. "So what is this thing?"

The gem inside had stopped screaming, stopped fighting. It's shrieks of anger quieted, becoming drawn-out & mournful. It curled into a ball and rested at the bottom of the bubble, shrouded by its hair. Her cries became saddened howls, almost sobs.

Pearl knelt down beside the surface of the orb, gently placing her palm against it. The gem inside peered out of its long mane, looking her in the eye. Pearl's mouth opened, slightly as she saw tears running along its scarred chin.

Rose folded her arms. "She's a gem. And we're going to help her."

* * *

The three gems and their new companion sped through the warp stream. Rose's hands were clasped together tightly, as she hummed to herself, thinking. Garnet was expressionless behind her visor, holding Rose's bubble above her head effortlessly. And Pearl's eyes were transfixed on her former attacker, whom still hadn't ventured out from behind her mane, save for a single, mournful eye, looking out at the stream.

With the sound of tinkling glass, they arrived at Rose's crystal temple. Its opening looked out over the beach & the water, and a small village of humans resided on the peninsula between the temple's mountain & the mainland.

When they arrived, the bubbled gem looked out of the cave opening and over the sea. For the first time, she sat upright, coming out from behind her hair, pressing her face against the bubble to see the ocean better. Pearl, still carefully watching her, found it somewhat... endearing. "Rose, she's moving!"

Rose looked up at their new friend. "So she is. Come on." She began striding down the stone steps of the temple. Garnet followed, and Pearl, after a moment's hesitation, scurried after them, still staring intently up at the bubble.

As their steps began to press into the soft, hot sand, Rose motioned to Garnet, who handed over the bubble. The gem inside was still transfixed by the open skyline & the lapping waves. Rose set the bubble gently down on the sand, positioning it between her and the water.

She took a few steps backwards, to stand with the others. Then, with a wave of her hand, the bubble vanished. Garnet & Pearl flinched, but otherwise stayed put.

The gem inside fell onto the soft sand with a _pash._ She looked down, trailing her fingers through it on her good hand. Not for long, as little could distract her from the sea for very long. Her dirty purple form slumped to the side, but she kept looking outwards, over the vast, blue water, and the massive, glowing sky. She didn't even bother to look backwards at her captors.

Pearl tugged at Rose's dress. " _Why isn't she doing anything?"_ she whispered.

Rose smiled. "She's taking it in. Look at the state of her, she had probably never left that Kindergarten." She turned to face Pearl. "You've seen the ocean lots of times, but imagine having never seen it before, ever! Or anything else, for that matter!"

On the beach, the gem stepped forward, cautiously, towards the edge of the foamy waves.

"She's learning something more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this accidentally got deleted. Here's the first chapter again. I don't know when it was published precisely but it should be first in order.  
> As a reminder, this chapter is the first of a 3-chapter narrative, as interspersed throughout the fic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Few Moments From Malachite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, Stevenbomb blew my mind and blew my plans for this fic to hell. So, now it's just going to be a series of snippets from the perspective of various characters. Hopefully one day I'll be able to tie the various narratives into a cohesive plot, but for now, it's just whatever I want to write about.  
> Here's a short thing connecting two much longer chapters.  
> Also, why are the notes from Chapter 1 at the end of this one? That's weird.

"I'll come back for you."

The part of me that was Lapis Lazuli could not stop dwelling on Steven. Steven, who I had tried so hard to save, to keep from harm. But he just wouldn't listen! That stubborn little gem unlike any I'd ever seen. He was so... trusting.

"I'll come back for you."

I kept playing the last words he said to me in my head. So kind, so hopeful. The only person who, it seemed, had never given up on me.

But he did, I insisted to myself. He never came back for me, alone in your cell- NO! The part of me that was Jasper raged against my mind. On the outside, we twisted again, but remained whole.

That little runt didn't believe in you. You couldn't even protect him!

But you did protect him. You stopped me.

I didn't stop me. I'm only down here until I let my guard down.

I frowned, tightening the water chains around my monstrous body. I'm not sure how I felt about it, but the part of me that was Lapis had full control over the water constructs.

Steven never stopped believing in me, I tell myself.

"I'll come back for you."

But they never would have found him if it weren't for you, another part of me insists.

That's not true. I didn't tell them anything, it was Peridot who-

Peridot?! She knew nothing. She had a planet and a name and that was it. It was you who guided them directly to the town.

I was saving them!

Quit lying to yourself, Malachite. I was saving myself. Everything I did, I did out of fear, and weakness.

That's not true.

That's not true!

"I'll come back for you."

Even those silly words are a lie! What is the real last thing he said to me?

A flash of images rages across my mind. A fiery beach, ragged warriors, and a small boy shouting in terror. "Nooo!!!!"

"NOOO!!!"

Stop it!

On the outside, I twist and turn. My hands grip the dark sand beneath me as my arms thrash through the dark water. It is all darkness, down here. Nothing but my thoughts and the occasional struggle with myself.

"Nooo!!!"

She's right, though. Whoever told me I was lying to myself. Now all I can see is that one shouted syllable. And... something more, even.

"Lapis, don't do it."

Steven, I...

LET ME GO!!!!

The part of me that is Jasper begins to pull herself out of my-our?-body. I just barely manage to hold myself in, through my sheer hatred. NO! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DID THIS! YOU DESERVE TO BE HERE!

A struggle. My face, the face of Malachite, is mercurial and rippling, before finally settling back into a four-eyed stare of anguish. With a cry, my six limbs go limp, and the struggle is over. Lapis is the stronger gem, just barely.

"Lapis, don't do it."

The words pierce my heart like a dagger. At the very least, maybe I can feel remorse for the first time in my life. If that thought was Jasper's genuine heart or Lapis' wishful thinking, I could not say.

"I'll come back for you."

The part of me that is Lapis Lazuli cannot stop dwelling on Steven Universe.

And she cannot hold back the rest of me forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Part one

Reforming was always difficult. But Ruby didn't know this. The darkness, the nothingness that shrouded her–it was all unfamiliar.

It was just her. Her mind, her thoughts. If she fell asleep, she would truly be gone.

Come to think of it, maybe not. She was asleep just a second ago, or something like it. Now, she could think. She could remember. She was awake, though she had no eyes to open.

What had happened?

Then she remembered. That Pearl, it had swept past her like a breeze. But it had dealt a fatal blow, and the last thing she remembered was exploding into a cloud of dust, alongside her sister Ruby.

Okay, so she was gone. Physical form kaput. She had seen it happen before, though it had not happened to her. She just had to re-make her body, and everything would be fine. She pictured herself in her mind's eye, identical to every other Ruby ever. And nothing happened.

Hmm.

It took her a moment to figure it out. After a stretch of thinking, she just relaxed, letting herself do what felt natural. Being a mind in a void of nothingness was something horrible between being too stiff and too stretched, and she wished she could roll her shoulder.

Suddenly, her gem, gleaming scarlet and vivid in clarity, came to her thoughts. She remembered every time she had gripped it with her left hand, reaching across herself to her shoulder, feeling its coldness underneath her palm.

She could feel her skin around it. She could feel the bone, shifting and moving underneath. She began to imagine her body, bit by bit of living flesh at a time, going outwards from her ruby center. It was slow, and difficult, and sometimes she had trouble remembering what something felt like. But soon she was whole, seeing herself clearly in her mind, like living in the reflection of a mirror.

And then the mirror broke, and the void was pulled away, and she fell to the ground.

Ruby groaned, picking herself up from the floor. The intense self-awareness she had felt just a moment ago was quickly fleeing, and her limbs moved slowly. She stumbled, and her hand flew out to meet a wall. It was smooth, and gently curved. Ruby looked up to find herself in a standard soldier's quarters, aboard a spaceship. Likely the aristocrat's vessel they had come in on. She could feel a faint vibration under her fingers. The engines were on.

She glanced around the room, still dizzy from reforming. There were no windows, but odds were that they were in space. As she looked, she noticed that there was a ruby, lying alone on the floor. Her sister.

But there was only one. Why was there only one?

Still leaning against the wall, she let herself slide down it, until she was seated on the ground, her back against the cold surface. She rested her head, glad for the relief from standing upright. A million thoughts tried to pass through her mind but combined into a haze of white noise, leaving her mind blank as she stared at the single stone before her.

Two of her sisters had accompanied her. Two faces flashed in her mind, identical in every way, save for the placement of gem–one on the right hand, one on the left palm. Yet the simple information of gem-placement worked as flawlessly as a name in her mind.

The other ruby started to glow. It rose slowly into the air, before the other Ruby appeared, a serene expression on her face. She hung there a moment, before crashing to the ground with a groan.

Ruby-Shoulder helped Ruby-Hand to her feet. "Easy does it. How do you feel?"

She grumbled. "Groggy."

"Hehe, yeah, me too. That Pearl came out of nowhere, huh?"

"So fast!" Ruby-Hand smiled. "I can't believe a Pearl could be so fierce."

Ruby-Shoulder kept a hand on her sister. "Ruby's not here."

"Wha-?" Ruby-Hand looked around. "Where'd she go? Do you think something happened?"

"Nah, no way." Ruby waved her hand. "I'm sure she's on this ship somewhere, eager to hold it over us how hard we went down."

"By herself?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah.... totally! You know she was always the most level-headed."

The doors on the far side of the room opened. A tiger-class warrior entered, her shaggy white hair pulled into a bun. She held a small computer.

Ruby-Shoulder and Ruby-Hand both leapt to attention, holding their arms by their sides. "Commander!" They shouted in unison.

The warrior didn't speak for a moment, absorbed in the tiny device. Then, "Rubies, there has been a complication that requires your.... Eh, you, at homeworld. You will be taken out of rotation for–oh, three subcycles!?" She growled at the computer. "Damn pencil-pushers, a barely have any competent troops already." The warrior looked up at the Rubies. "That clear?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good." The warrior turned to leave.

Ruby-Shoulder grimaced, before shouting "Ma'am! Permission to speak!"

The tiger-class stopped, turning her head over her shoulder. She stared at her subordinate for a moment, before replying "Make it quick, soldier."

"What is the status of our squad's third member, ma'am!"

The warrior took a breath, before turning fully to face the two. "Officially, she is Lost Materials."

The Rubies both held their breath. Yellow-Diamond handled Material Development, fleets and armies dedicated to maximizing the amount of raw materials that could be used for the good of the Gem race. Lost Materials referred to any net losses in material production: Excess parts produced, anything that fell in a black hole, inert byproducts of ship construction.

Gems themselves were considered Usable Materials. Both Rubies shuddered as a million ideas of what had befallen their sister came to their minds, and–

"But Unofficially," the warrior continued, "there is more to it than that. I'm sure the gossip will reach you soon enough." With that, she turned heel and left. The door slid shut behind her.

Ruby-Hand began to freak out. "Ahh!" She grabbed the sides of her hair. "What does she mean? What happened? What could have happened!?"

Ruby-Shoulder grabbed her sister's shirt, and began to shake vigorously. "Calm down! We can figure this out!"

"You calm down! Let go of me!" Ruby-Hand pushed at Ruby-Shoulder's face They quickly descended into a fight, tousling each other on the ground. It was almost fun, save for the lack of their third member.

Ruby-Shoulder pushed herself up. "Okay, what can we do?"

Ruby-Hand continued lying on the floor, looking at the flat ceiling. "That big gem said something about gossip. Where do we go for gossip?"

"Yeah, who likes to gossip." The other one leaned against the wall.

They shared a glance.

"Pearls like to gossip."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be another continuing narrative. Probably with 3 chapters, same as the first one.


End file.
